By Kerry Doole
Review: Broken Social Scene's new five-song EP is a reminder of what they do best
Let's Try The After Vol. 1 is dense, clanking, triumphant and nostalgic – and it leaves us hungry for more. – Sarah MacDonald, NOW
How to get Rolling Stones tickets: Insiders tell you everything before general sales start
Demand will be absurdly high, of course, as the “Canada Rocks” gig on June 29 is the only Canadian date on the No Filter tour routing and the first Stones’ appearance in the Toronto area since a pair of ACC dates on the band’s 50 and Counting… jaunt back in May and June of 2013. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
4 radical moments in Junos history, from Alanis Morissette to Rascalz
The Junos are a time to celebrate Canada's greatest musicians, but it's also a place where artists can go to make a statement. Over the years, artists have used their (literal) platform to share important messages with the million-plus viewers in the hopes of inspiring change and challenging perspectives.– CBC
iskwē won’t let us look away from injustice toward Indigenous people
Her new video Little Star, released on the anniversary of acquittals in the Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine cases, is an ode to young, Indigenous lives lost. – CV Grier, NOW
Lori Yates passing on her songwriting skills
At the Creative Genius workshop, the roots music star is there to teach not sing. – Graham Rockingham The Hamilton Spectator
Contemporary dancers take off from themes of acceptance, Elvis, and the cosmos
“When Alberta Ballet approached me three years ago I started out picking music from video games, and watching them I realized how they reflect so much about our lives, what's going on and where we're going next, where the future is. It's a whole new world for me.” – Wen Wei Wang. – Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal
World renowned L.A. trumpeter Wayne Bergeron inspires, mentors Regina students
"There's a few times where I missed the entrances because I'm just looking at him, just jaw-dropping — his sound, his range, it's unreal." – Jennifer Ackerman, Regina Leader-Post
Quake Matthews talks battling, his comeup, & the power of “Confessions”
Just recently, the Halifax hiphop artist was nominated for two awards at the 2019 East Coast Music Awards including Rap/Hip-Hop Recording of the Year, and Song of the Year with Neon Dreams for “Confessions.” – Uncle Buck, HipHop Canada
Canadian teen who went viral last year releases her first song
Following the P!nk concert, videos of Victoria Anthony serenading the superstar are uploaded onto the internet, taking it by storm and quickly going viral. – Daily Hive
Jessica Stuart: Finding a long-lost friend in Japan
In 2017, singer/songwriter Jessica Stuart was several months into teaching film director Daniel Roher how to play the guitar, when her past and present collided. – Chaka V. Grier, SOCAN Words & Music
international
Aerosmith's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony takes a rain check
Aerosmith planned to spend Valentine’s Day on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but their date with a star was postponed due to a monster storm pummeling Southern California. – Dorany Pineda, LA Times
Chris Cornell documentary in the works from Brad Pitt and Peter Berg
A new documentary film centered on the life of Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell is in the works.The film will be produced by Cornell’s widow, Vicky, along with Brad Pitt and Peter Berg’s Film 45 production company. – Kristopher Tapley, Variety
Hayes Carll: It is What It Is and it ain't what it ain't
Before he could get to the point of releasing his new album What It Is, he had to solve three challenges. One was to straighten out his personal life so he wouldn’t plunge back into personal turmoil. – Geoffrey Himes, Paste
Kurt Vile made a Neil Young playlist for Neil Young Archives
Kurt Vile, who is clearly influenced by Neil Young and has covered him and hung with him, has now made his own Neil Young playlist as a guest curator for the Canadian star's Archives. – Andrew Sacher, Brooklyn Vegan
Digger’s Dreamland: The true story behind this extraordinary abandoned record warehouse
Imagine happening upon a vast warehouse space, knee deep in swells of records of all descriptions – some spilling out of boxes, others still in their original shrink wrap. Then imagine the place is yours to trawl through, in private, for as long as you want. – thevinylfactory.com
Insys executives used rap video to push sales of potentially lethal opioid
Federal prosecutors alleged in court on Wednesday that a company at the center of a criminal investigation stemming from the nation's opioid epidemic used a music video to motivate employees to push sales of a highly addictive fentanyl spray. – CBS News
Avril Lavigne celebrates love with new beau
Avril Lavigne celebrated a year of love with her new boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. The Girlfriend hitmaker is rumoured to be dating billionaire heir Phillip Sarofim. – WENN
From Soho to Paris, how migrant music brought two capitals to life
From the 1960s to the 1980s, music from afar united Paris and London in a vibrant cultural age. A new exhibition celebrates the era. – Kim Willsher, The Observer
Ryan Adams’ album release pulled amid misconduct allegations
Ryan Adams recently announced he’d have three new albums out this year, but that number looks to be rapidly shrinking. The first of his planned 2019 releases, “Big Colors,” which was to have come out April 19, has been “put on hold,” according to sources close to the situation. – Chris Willman, Variety
Zero Emission Musicians set record in all electric vehicle music tour
Philadelphia area based “Zero Emission Musicians” Rick Denzien and Debra Lee, set a world record as the first ever 100 percent electric vehicle professional cross-country music tour in January, traveling 8,070 miles to California and back, in a 2018 Tesla Model 3. – Ein News
The return of Massive Attack
Twenty-one years since the release of Mezzanine, their most successful album, Massive Attack are taking it on tour – with films. The band and their visuals director, Adam Curtis, tell us why. – Nosheen Iqbal, The Observer
The world’s best record shops #140: Infopesa, Lima
Every week, we pick out one must-visit spot from a different city around the world with photos and a little bit of history. Think of it as a kind of 1000 places to see before you die for record shops. In 2019, with a newly re-launched label and record shop, Infopesa continues to fly the flag for Peru's vibrant music scene. – Jack Needham, The Vinyl Factory
